Sunday, April 29, 2012

Lincecum notched his second victory of 2012 in impressive fashion. Not only did he pitch eight innings of one-run ball, but he also broke up San Diego Padres' starter Anthony Bass' perfect game with an infield single in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Lincecum did not light up the radar gun, topping out at 90 mph, but he was effective, mixing and matching the fastball with his offspeed pitches. The result was in Lincecum's favor.

The Padres scored first in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Nick Hundley. A throwing error by first baseman Brandon Belt fueled the third-inning rally.

The Giants made two more errors Saturday night, their fifth of the series.

Belt made up for his miscue in the bottom of the seventh inning. With runners at first and third, Belt scorched a two-out double into the left-center field gap.

The Giants scored two runs on that double and took a 2-1 lead. San Francisco would go on to win by that score.

Pablo Sandoval went 0-for-4 in the game, ending his 20-game hitting streak.

...

Tim Lincecum showed everyone last night why he is an ace.

Let's face it. Lincecum's fastball isn't up to speed right now.

What used to be 96-97 mph, then 91-94 mph, is now 89-91 mph. Lincecum is learning how to make it work, which is what separates a pitcher from a thrower.

Lincecum mixed and matched his pitches nicely last night. Like Barry Zito, Lincecum cannot rely on blowing away hitters right now with pitches up out over the plate.

Why? The answer is simple.

The difference in velocity between his fastball and changeup is not as great as it once was, which makes pitch recognition easy for the hitter. Lincecum must rely on knee-high control and using his assortment of pitches, including his changeup, curveball, slider, and split.

Lincecum simply cannot blow hitters away with pitches out over the plate like he used to. Keep this in mind though.

Sometimes, making it work with less stuff on the mound can make you a better pitcher than dominating when you have all your stuff.

Friday, April 27, 2012

The San Francisco Giants' injured second baseman will stop his rehab assignment in San Jose for at least five days, according to Giants vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans.

Sanchez was supposed to play second base for Class-A San Jose on Wednesday, but a rainout and a shoulder strain halted those plans.

Evans remains optimistic that Sanchez will be back near the original target date of May 11. You can read Evans' quotes here.

Sanchez is 4-for-10 with three RBI in his rehab stint.

...

I am a bit puzzled by Sanchez's latest setback. It must have happened sometime after Thursday's double header because I saw him taking sprints, and he looked normal.

When he moved his arm during workouts, he looked just fine. Here is the video of him I took during the San Jose Giants pregame.

I had the privilege of going on the field with NBC Bay Area Meteorologist Christina Loren for Weather Day. This gave me a chance to shoot the video of Sanchez, who was wearing jersey number 18 at the time.

The temperature during tonight's contest between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres will be a cool, crisp 57 degrees. The conditions will be mostly cloudy by the game's 7:15 p.m. start time, but will clear up as the game progresses.

The west-northwest wind will have a slight influence towards right of center. It will be a nice, fresh breeze and a beautiful night at the ballpark on the shores of McCovey Cove.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Great American Ballpark has been a house of horrors for the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants snapped their seven-game losing streak in Cincinnati on a dramatic ninth-inning home run by Angel Pagan. Coming into Thursday's game, the Giants had lost seven straight games in Cincinnati.

San Francisco appeared poised for an eighth-straight loss early in the game. The Cincinnati Reds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, exacerbated by starting pitcher Homer Bailey's single.

After the Giants tied the game with a fourth-inning, two-run rally, the Reds reclaimed the lead in the sixth on a two-run homerun by Jay Bruce, giving the Reds a 4-2 lead.

The Reds took a 5-3 lead into the ninth inning. After a lead-off walk by Joaquin Arias, Ryan Theriot singled.

This set the stage for new Giant Angel Pagan. Pagan fell behind 1-2 to closer Sean Marshall, but launched the next pitch over the left-field wall to turn the game around and give the Giants the lead at 6-5.

Giants' interim closer Santillago Casilla shut the door in the bottom of the ninth, striking out the side on 14 pitches.

Ryan Vogelsong received a no-decision, pitching 6 innings, giving up four earned run on seven hits. He was bailed out of a loss by Pagan in the ninth inning.

Pablo Sandoval extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a fourth-inning single. No one in Giants history has began a season with such a streak.

...

I did not see the game today, but listening on the radio, this was a great baseball game.

If this were the 2011 Giants, they would probably scratch and claw two runs--which would have led to another sweep at the hands of the Reds.

Not the 2012 Giants.

The offense is much better, so this should make for an exciting season. Although the Giants are just 10-9 on the year, imagine where San Francisco would be with last year's offense.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

San Francisco Giants' struggling first baseman Aubrey Huff was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with an anxiety disorder.

Huff, who was hitting just .182 for the 2012 season, seemed mentally distraught in his last game Saturday against the New York Mets after failing to break for second base on a potential inning-ending double-play ball hit to shortstop. Instead of breaking for second to try to turn the double play, Huff broke for first base, and Emmanuel Burriss' throw to first to salvage an out was too late.

In defense of Huff, he was making his first career start at second base due to an illness to backup shortstop Ryan Theriot. The regular shortstop, Brandon Crawford, was pinch-hit for in the top of the ninth inning, which made second base available for Huff after Burriss moved from second to short.

Huff is in his second year of a two-year, $22 million contract with a $10 million club option for 2013. His club option remains in jeopardy as a result of his mental lapses and early-season struggles.

Huff turned 35 in December and has 12 years of service in the major leagues.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Imagine your San Francisco Giants playing in a concrete, domed monster.

Instead of looking at the beautiful shores of McCovey Cove, right field would show high catwalks, a Teflon dome, and a bland concrete wall. Giants games at the Suncoast Dome might average 10,000 fans on a good night, with the team struggling to reach .500 year-after-year.

Such was almost the reality for the Giants.

There almost was no AT&T Park. There almost was no Barry Bonds. There almost was no magical 2010 World Series run.

Watch this YouTube video, and you will see what almost was for your San Francisco Giants. The video is from CBS' 60 Minutes: Field of Dreams from 1992.

Enjoy and we'll talk after...

...

From my understanding, baseball is unique because of its antitrust exemption. Thus, Major League Baseball owners can vote whether or not to stop a sale, regardless of the highest bidder, which was the case in 1992.

Fortunately for the Giants, this kept them in San Francisco. The National League owners voted 9-4 to keep the Giants in San Francisco and stop their sale to a Tampa Bay ownership group.

This opened the door for Peter McGowan to purchase the Giants for $15 million less than the Tampa Bay group. Tampa Bay was infuriated.

For those of you who hate the Los Angeles Dodgers, consider this. They voted to keep the Giants in San Francisco so their rivalry would not be tarnished, so you can thank the Dodgers, indirectly, for AT&T Park being built.

Other teams that voted in favor of blocking the sale were the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies.

To further show their firm grounding in San Francisco for generations to come, the Giants signed Barry Bonds to be the face of the franchise. Bonds would go on to break baseball's all-time home run record and was a legend in San Francisco.

Then Interim Commissioner Bud Selig supported keeping the Giants in San Francisco, and embraced letters from San Franciscans which said fans enjoyed watching Willie Mays play when they were children.

Giants fans should also thank Supreme Court Judge Oliver Wendell Holmes. He allowed the above process to take place, to the chagrin of Sen. Connie Mack III.

Here is what Sen. Mack said about the process that kept the Giants in San Francisco.

"By preventing the Giants from moving to Tampa Bay, major league
baseball has shown that it is more interested in preserving its sacred
monopoly than allowing the free market to work."

And Giants fans do not care.

Sorry Mr. Mack, you're wrong. In this case, that sacred monopoly helped build one of the best stadiums in baseball in one of the most spectacular vistas in the country.

Regardless of what Connie Mack I's grandson said, or what the man in the white shirt said in the video, the Giants staying in San Francisco was the best thing for baseball.

All you have to do is show these two suits the gem at the corner of Third and King in downtown San Francisco. I bet they changed their opinions now--or maybe not.

The ownership group led by Peter McGowan had baseball fans in mind when they bought the Giants and saved them from what was then the Suncoast Dome. Now that domed structure, Tropicana Field, is considered one of the worst venues in baseball.

And that was what your San Francisco Giants would have called home. Take a look at the difference...

I usually like to back up my opinions with facts and statistics, but in this case, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Which ballpark is better?

Here are your numbers that should suffice.

10,000 luke-warm fans in a domed monster versus 42,000 passionate, rabid fans where it is always "magic inside." I think baseball would rather have the latter.

In some cases, the free market economy just doesn't work.

Fans probably would much rather see a splash home run than, well, nothing.

Thank you Bud and Judge Holmes for helping to give us the jewel on San Francisco Bay.

Friday, April 20, 2012

The San Francisco Giants are coming off a strong 4-2 opening homestand and look continue their good play on the road.

San Francisco is 6-6 on the season, but they are looking better as the season goes on. After getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in their opening series, the Giants have gone 6-3 and have lowered their team ERA to 3.65.

The Giants have a 5.58 road ERA compared to a 1.93 ERA so far this season.

The Giants are heading into New York with a head of steam after their thrilling walk-off, 11-inning victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. Matt Cain pitched nine shutout innings in his no-decision, while Cliff Lee pitched 10 innings and suffered the same fate.

The Giants scored an unearned run in the 11th inning on a Melky Cabrera one-out single. The Giants' runner who scored reach on an error.

Barry Zito heads into New York with a 1-0 record and a 1.13 ERA. His opponent, Jonathon Niese, is a perfect 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA.

Opponents are hitting just .156 against Niese in two starts.

The Giants' offense is well--just enough.

San Francisco ranks 10th in the National League in runs scored with 50. They are hitting .252 as a team, good for seventh in the league.

It is safe to say that the Giants' offense cannot be considered great just yet--but it is an improvement so far from years passed.

In this upcoming series in New York, however, pitching will have the upper hand.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

If you thought Monday's game was going to be a legendary pitching duel, tonight's game will be a close second.

The Philadelphia Phillies' Cliff Lee (0-1) will take on Matt Cain (1-0).

Cain is coming off a one-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a great bounce-back game after blowing a six-run lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lee has been solid so far, although he had a hiccup in his last start against the New York Mets. He has posted a 3.46 ERA in two starts, with 11 strikeouts and just two walks. The San Francisco Giants will certainly have their hands full tonight.

Brett Pill will be playing first base and Ryan Theriot will be at second in place of Emmanuel Burriss with the left-handed pitcher going tonight.

...

The Giants made a great move going with Nate Schierholtz here. He has been a hot hitter and seems to have the magic wand going.

Schierholtz went 3-for-3, including a booming single off the brick wall in right field. Surprising that Bochy would go with Nate here against the lefty Lee, but he has earned it.

NBC Bay Area Meteorologist Christina Loren predicts that the ball will carry to center field tonight, with a slight push towards McCovey Cove.

The game-time temperature for tonight's 7:15 p.m. start at AT&T Park will be 56 degrees, with a 21 mph west- northwest wind. The conditions will be cloudy, with just a 10 percent chance of precipitation.

At around 9 p.m., winds will push a little more toward McCovey Cove, so if it is a tight one going in to the late innings, a big home run could be in the forecast.

Monday, April 16, 2012

By Vince CestoneTwitter @vintalkingiants
It just doesn't get any better than this.

Tim Lincecum will face the Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Hallady in a battle of aces in tonight's contest at AT&T Park.

The San Francisco Giants saw their three-game winning streak end after the Pittsburgh Pirates' hurler Kevin Correia shut the Giants down to one run in six innings. Lincecum will look to get the Giants back on track.

In order to put the Giants in the win column, Lincecum must improve upon his previous two starts. His last outing in Colorado was his worst start of his career.

At Coors Field, Lincecum pitched just 2.1 innings, giving up six earned runs on eight hits. His ERA is up to 12.91 in two starts this season.

It is truly the tale of two aces.

Halladay, on the other hand, is picking up from where he left off last season. In his two starts in 2012, Halladay (2-0) has a 0.60 ERA, including eight innings of shutout ball against the Pirates on Opening Day.

Lincecum will look to rebound against one of the greatest pitchers in the National League in a possible playoff preview.

Giants' trainer Dave Groescher told Baggarly Wilson does not have a full ligament tear. Many pitchers have opted to rehab from this instead of have Tommy John surgery.

Wilson will travel to Florida for a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday. The Giants and Wilson will determine their course of treatment by the end of the week.

Baggarly also poses the possibility that the Giants and Wilson might come up with something that has never been done before. Wilson is still expected to "get a new arm" via surgery, but the possibility does exist that he will rehab and return to the mound this season.

No employee who has been loyal to a company for almost 30 years should be treated like that. To coldly escort a long-time Bay Area personality, I do not care what you thought of him, in a span of seven minutes is inhumane.

Ray Taliaferro said it best when he and his colleagues were treated the same way when they were fired from KGO 810 in a similar fashion.

"You just don't do that to human beings..." "Where did the people of Cumulus go to school?"

I do not blame KNBR or even head honcho Lee Hammer. They did not do anything. It was all Atlanta-based Cumulus Media.

Good luck Ralph. The Talking Giants Baseball blog is behind you!

Go Sharks!

What do you guys think?

For more information on what took place at KGO and KNBR, visit Rich Lieberman's Blog (linked above) and check out Ray Taliaferro's speechoutside the KGO radio studios.

Matt Cain took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, only to be broken up by Pittsburgh Pirates' pitcher James McDonald. However, he completed the San Francisco Giants' second complete-game shutout of the season.

Cain also had the strkeout ball going in Friday's Giants' home opener at AT&T Park. Cain amassed 11 strikeouts, while walking none.

The Giants offense scored plenty for Matt Cain in San Francisco's 5-0 victory.

San Francisco has scored at least four runs in each of their first seven games, the first time they have done so since 2003 when they began that year 7-0.

Contrary to what one might expect, the Giants are 3-4, even with the much-improved offense.

The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Melky Cabrera, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, scored on a Buster Posey double to deep center. Aubrey Huff followed with a two-out single.

Huff later homered in the eighth inning, a two-run homer that made the score 5-0 San Francisco.

The Giants tacked on their third run in the sixth inning on a bloop single by Nate Schierholtz.

The Giants are currently second in the National League in runs scored with 33, just behind the St. Louis Cardinals who have 37.

The Pirates are going in the opposite direction. Since taking 2-out-of-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh has lost four in a row and are dead last in the league in runs scored with 11.

A little home cooking seemed to do the Giants good.

...

Who would have thought the 2012 Giants would put up their best all-around offensive output since 2003? I say all-around because even their outs are loud.

I have not seen so many line drives off San Francisco bats since the steroid era. If you're a Giants fan, this is a great sign.

The most salient weakness on this team was supposed to be the offense. That was to be the X factor.

Surprisingly, the run support has been there, but for the most part, the starting pitching has not. It must be a relief to see Matt Cain dominate again after his rough outing in Arizona.

It's been a tale of two pitching staffs. You got Tim Lincecum who cannot get the ball over the plate, and you got Barry Zito throwing complete-game shutouts.

Cain, Zito, and Bumgarner have rebounded nicely. The X factor here is Lincecum.

We will see how he does against Roy Halladay next week when they go head-to-head at AT&T Park. It is time to see if Lincecum is really the ace the Giants thought he would be--and if he is worth the next big contract.
...

Today's San Francisco Giants' opening day game against the Pittsburgh Pirates may be interrupted by a bit of rain.

Right now, it is cloudy with no rain at AT&T Park, but stray downpours are possible by the 1:35 p.m. first pitch. The opening pitch temperature will be a cool 55 degrees, with west-northwest gusts blowing out toward McCovey Cove at 15 mph, and the wind will pick up throughout the game.

Matt Cain, who will be taking on the Pirates' James McDonald, better watch out for those isolated thunderstorms, as a low pressure system heads toward San Francisco.

What does this mean?

Pablo Sandoval and Melky Cabrera should gear up because it is going to be a short porch at the 309-foot marker down the right-field line. The ballpark should play live, so fans and kayakers should gear up for the long ball.

...

Tune in to CSN Bay Area at 1:30 p.m. for the Giants versus the Pirates live from AT&T Park.

...

What do you all think of the weather conditions for today's game? Are you ready for some splash hits?

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The San Francisco Giants looked terrible defensively and on the mound last night against the Colorado Rockies. They committed three more errors and gave up 17 more runs.

What figured to be a strength for San Francisco has turned into an Achilles heel in the early going. The Giants are dead last in the National League in ERA with a 6.37 clip and are second in the league in errors with seven, just behind the San Diego Padres.

Pitching and defense were supposed to be the MO for the Giants, with just enough offense. It has been a 180.

The Giants have had great offense, averaging 5.8 runs per game, but very weak starting and relief pitching. San Francisco has scored at least four runs in each of their first five games but are 1-4.

Last year, the Giants dominated their opponents when scoring four or more runs.

San Francisco Giants' starting catcher Buster Posey is out with yet another injury.

While this ailment lacks the severity of a torn ligament, Posey was absent from Wednesday's lineup at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies due to shingles. Posey will be out of the lineup for the second straight day after taking a rest day on Tuesday.

Giants' manager Bruce Bochy said he expects Posey back in the lineup tomorrow in the series finale against the Rockies.